Jaguar and its sibling brand, Land Rover, signed a contract to build vehicles at Magna's Graz plant in July 2015 but at that time JLR didn't specify which models the would be produced there. Automotive News Europe sister publication Automobilwoche reported then that Magna would manufacture an electric vehicle and the new Land Rover Discovery for JLR.

Speth confirmed that the I-Pace would be one of two vehicles that Magna builds for JLR. He declining to confirm whether the second model would also be an EV or whether the car would be for the Land Rover brand...

Construction has already begun on an extension to Magna's production facilities in Graz to prepare for output of two JLR models. German magazine Automobil Produktion reported this week that marketing group IHS Automotive foresees production of about 13,000 I-Pace SUVs with Magna in 2019, the EV's first full year on the market.

“We expect the battery will last the entire lifetime of the car. If you look at the specification of the cells – 1000 cycles of full-span zero-to-100 per cent – that’s what the battery pack can do.

“In our case, as we have a range of 500km,1000 cycles would mean the battery has a life of 500,000km, which should exceed the life of the vehicle...

Ziebart believes it’s even better than that, given the fact that standard 1000 cycles are based on a (fully discharged to 100%) fast-charge using a high-powered 100kW charge in one hour continuously...

Not coincidentally (?) the I-Pace should easily exceed the 350 mile UDDS range required to earn the maximum of four CA ZEV credits.

Many 2011-12 LEAF packs also may actually exceed 1,000 cycles (IF you define ~70% of initial capacity EOL) but that of course will generally happen after only 60,000 to 120,000 miles, depending on climate, driving patterns, and actual initial battery capacity.

JLR plans to power into plug-insCompany steers clear of self-driving vehicles

...Speth said the U.S. will be the major market for the high-performance I-Pace...

What's "not clear," Speth said, is whether customers will accept the new design direction of the I-Pace, especially its short hood. Buyers are used to Jaguar's long hood for "the more powerful horses," he said...

IMO, the I-pace design works, and I hope its acceptance will mean we will soon not have to see BEVs continue to display their huge empty frunks , in mimicry of the engine bays of ICEVs.

More substantially, the article below explains JLRs other BEV objectives, and specifically the functional reasons why BEV designs based on those of ICEVs should be relegated to history:

Jaguar's new electric platform can be easily adopted for a broad range of vehicles, says the head of the brand's electric vehicle program.

"The platform can either be stretched or compacted, so it is a good platform for other vehicles," said Wolfgang Ziebart, technical design director of product development.

Jaguar showed its first vehicle on the platform, the I-Pace Concept compact crossover EV, last week at the auto show here. The production version will be shown in late 2017 and go on sale in the U.S. in 2018. The U.S. will be the biggest market and account for about half of global sales, Ziebart said.

Although Jaguar executives would not disclose an annual sales volume target, "it will be substantial," rather than a niche vehicle, said Joe Eberhardt, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover North America.

The I-Pace is 2 inches shorter than the F-Pace crossover that went on sale this year. But it has the interior room of the Range Rover long-wheelbase model, Ziebart said.

Jaguar opted to develop the electric platform first and "from a clean sheet of paper," so it could "choose the best in concepts and components," Ziebart said.

"Many cars on the market resemble combustion cars or are built on platforms used by combustion cars," he said.

"We are not developing this car with the battery development of today but of what will be available by 2018," Ziebart said...

That comment suggests to me that JLR may have anticipated progress in what has been a major problem with large-capacity pack BEVs, excessive pack and vehicle weight, which retards both efficiency and driving dynamics.

IF Jaguar can keep the curb weight below ~4,000 LBS (dare I hope for ~3600?) I may even be able to overcome my frugal instincts and buy one as the last car I'll ever drive myself, before I buy the self-driving vehicle I'll want to take me through my final years...

Jaguar now has a fairly comprehensive I-PACE announcement on their site.

From the FAQ's:

How much is the I-PACE likely to cost?Final pricing will not be confirmed until closer to the launch of the I-PACE. While electric propulsion systems can be twice as expensive as conventional systems, we assume the I-PACE will be priced 10-15% above a similarly powered and equipped Jaguar F-PACE.

Not much new in this progress report, but this story does give a good perspective on the future prospects of expensive luxury/performance BEVs.

Jaguar To Surprise Electric Vehicle World With Shocking New 2018 Entry

A surprising company aims to lead a rapid expansion in the premium electric car sector in 2018.

Early in that year Jaguar, the relatively small British luxury car maker owned by Tata Motors, says it will debut its first electric model ahead of EVs coming from much larger rivals, Audi, BMW and Mercedes...

According to Jaguar Land Rover CEO Ralf Speth, the storied brand is “now in pole position for the EV era, with an early 2018 on sale date.”

Though there are natural comparisons to be made to Tesla, which has pioneered the modern electric car, the fact remains that this tiny California company only sells a small number of very expensive, $100,000-plus EVs and its long term financial prospects are uncertain...

The EVs in the pipeline from the well-established European premium automakers are expected to be more affordable than Tesla’s high-end models and therefore be in reach of a broader consumer audience.

In Jaguar’s case the rakishly designed I-PACE is intended to be a sporty crossover, in keeping with the brand’s image...

Jaguar just gave a closer look at its Tesla rival coming in 2018 — and it's gorgeous

Jaguar just gave us a closer look at the Tesla rival it plans to release in 2018.

Jaguar first showed off the I-PACE, the automaker's electric SUV concept, at the Los Angeles Auto Show last November. At the time, Jaguar said the concept will serve as the basis for a production model set to arrive next year.

On Thursday, Jaguar released new images of the concept in an absolutely gorgeous red that allows the car to look more like a production vehicle...

More details below. Weight and battery source may only be guesswork, IMO.

New 2018 Jaguar I-Pace: All the details on Jaguar's electric SUV and fresh pictures

...While we won’t see the car in production form until the end of 2017, it’s not expected to change far beyond the car we see here, and the I-Pace name will stick around.

The basic power and performance figures should remain largely unchanged too, and Jaguar has hinted that it’ll cost around 10-15% more than an equivalent version of its F-Pace SUV...

The I-Pace features an all-new aluminium platform, and the compact size of the electric motors – each one has an outer diameter of 234mm and a length of 500mm – allow plenty of space in the cabin.

Much of the car’s hardware is derived from the F-Pace SUV, including the double-wishbone front suspension and the compact Integral Link rear suspension. The Lithium-Ion batteries have been developed in-house and use pouch cells for their energy density and efficiency. They’ll give 80 per cent charge in 90 minutes and 100 per cent in just over two hours from a 50kW DC charging point, and they sit low in the car to give the car a centre of gravity that’s 120mm lower than the F-Pace.

Weight is an issue – the I-Pace is expected to weigh around 2,100kg – but straight-line performance won’t be and Jaguar promises that the car will handle ‘as a Jaguar should’...

The I-Pace concept has electric motors in the front and rear axles with a combined output of 400 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque, which will allow it to get from 0-60 mph in just 4.0 seconds if you're in a hurry. The compact SUV/hatch is powered by a 90-kWh lithium-ion battery, and Jaguar expects it to have an EPA-estimated range of 220 miles on a full charge; an 80 percent charge is said to take just 90 minutes, with a full recharge in just two hours when a 50-kW DC fast-charging terminal is used.

In comparison, a current Tesla Model S (or X) will charge to 80% in about 40 minutes or to add 170 miles of range in about 30 minutes -- similar to Chevy's Bolt, the 'wait' at the existing DC chargers (plus the fact that a number of them will simply stop after 30 minutes so you need to start a new charging session -- 4 X for a full charge apparently!!!) will be a deciding factor to some who cross shop this new crop of longer range EV's once the Model 3 is available. Also, if their 90-kWh battery only gets 220 miles that's a lot more inefficient (or car is much heavier) than Tesla's 90D which gets around 300 miles -- of course Tesla also introduced their 100D which exceeds the 300 mile range as well

Not a single word about faster than 50kW charging rates. Slightly worrisome. If it can't accept charge at 100kW CCS speed, that will be a big reason to avoid this vehicle,as it cripples the vehicle from being long-range EV (as soon as CCS infrastructure evolves)to being medium-range EV that can go 100-200 mile radius around your home.Charging for 1½ hours every few hours is considerably worse than charging 40-50 minutes.

okay 2 strikes and I haven't even got to the price tag. oops, strike 3. fail.

What the what, Jaguar? You gonna let people fend for themselves in the vast REAL quick charge desert that encompasses most of the world?

Granted it sure will look cool sitting there stranded while the Tesla's fuel up in 30 min at a Supercharger. Just get on board with the Tesla charging network and be done with it. Gees, why are these wannabe "EV" producers so willing to fail?

The I-PACE in the gallery linked below is apparently one of the ~200 production prototypes already produced for road-testing purposes.

The article is an excellent summary of what was already known, and adds many specifications unreported previously.

Drivetrain/ battery pack details suggest that Tesla products may seem primitive in comparison, and aggressive pricing would may undercut Tesla as well, when and if it ever brings out a Y model as a competitor.

Jaguar I-Pace: new pics of production-spec electric SUV

...Jaguar has future-proofed the electrical architecture to accept higher-capacity charging than 50kW DC when such charging points become commonplace. The charging socket is situated in the car’s front wing.

Jaguar’s engineers designed and developed the motors in-house to achieve the compactness, efficiency and power density they desired. The motors have an outer diameter of 234mm, are 500mm long and weigh about 38kg. Permanent magnet motors were chosen in preference to the induction motors used by the likes of Tesla because the efficiency is fractionally better and the weight is lower.

Power is stored in a 90kWh lithium ion battery pack. The battery uses 36 pouch cells selected for their energy density and thermal performance. They operate at a lower heat, so they can run at a high performance for longer than cylindrical cells.

Jaguar said pouch cells offer excellent future development potential, especially in terms of energy density. This will enable greater range for a given size of battery, or deliver similar range to today but from a smaller, lighter pack.

The pack is liquid-cooled using a dedicated two-mode cooling circuit. In moderate ambient temperatures, the battery improves efficiency by relying only on a radiator to remove the heat generated by the cells. At higher temperatures, a chiller linked to the vehicle’s main air conditioning system provides greater cooling capacity to keep the battery in optimum condition...

The price of the production car is expected to be about 10-15% above that of an F-Pace of similar specification. Jaguar remains tight-lipped on precise details, but the I-Pace is expected to cost around £60,000...